Le roy busler

ABSTRACT

A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING CONTACT TERMINALS INTO COIL BOBBINS IS DISCLOSED. APPARATUS COMPRISES AN INDEXIBLE TURNTABLE HAVING A PLURALITY OF BOBBIN HOLDING JIGS. A FIXED TABLE, LOCATED BENEATH THE INDEXIBLE TURNTABLE, HAS A PLURALITY OF BOBBIN INSERTERS WHERE TERARE POSITIONED IN JIGS AND CARRIED TO INSERTERS WHERE TERMINALS ARE INSERTED. IN ACCORDANCE WITH METHOD ASPECT,, THE BOBBINS ARE MOVED TOWARDS THE TERMINALS TO ACCOMPLISH THE INSERTING OPERATION. (APPARATUS FOR INSERTING CONTACT TERMINALS INTO INSULATING BLOCKS, SUCH AS BOBBINS, COMPRISES AN INDEXIBLE TURNTABLE, HAVING A PLURALITY OF BOBBIN HOLDING JIGS MOUNTED THEREON, AND A FIXED TABLE, LOCATED BENEATH THE TURNTABLE, ON WHICH A PLURALITY OF TERMINAL APPLICATORS ARE MOUNTED. BOBBINS AREAPPROXIMATLEY POSITIONED IN THE JIGS AT A LOADING STATION AND ARE CARRIED PAST THE SEVERAL INSERTING STATIONS. EACH BOBBIN JIG HAS CLAMPING MEANS WHICH IS ACTUATED BETWEEN THE LOADING STATION AND THE FIRST INSERTING STATION AND WHICH CLAMPS THE BOBBIN TO THE JIG AND ACCURATELY POSITIONS IT ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE TURNTABLE SO THAT THE BOBBINS ARE PRECISELY LOCATED WITH RESPECT TO THE SEVERAL APPLICATORS AT THE INSERTING STATIONS. THE APPLICATORS ARE ADJUSTED TO INSERT A TERMINAL INTO EACH OF THE SEVERAL TERMINAL RECEIVING OPENINGS IN THE BOBBINS, EACH APPLICATOR BEING MOVABLE RELATIVELY TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM THE TURNTABLE DURING AN OPERATING CYCLE TO INSERT A SINGLE TERMINAL.)

Aug. 20, 1974 w LE oy s E ETAL Re. 28,119

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING coxuc'r MEMBERS INTO INSULATINGBLOCKS 1968 12 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed July 31.

Aug. 20, 1974 w, LE ROY us ErAL Re. 28,119

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING counc'r mmmnns INTO msuuvrme BLOCKSOriginal Filed July 31, 1968 12 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 20, 1'? w LE ROYBUSLER ETAL Rt. 28,119

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR msEM'ING conucw MEMBERS 1M0 msum'rms BLOCKSOriginal Filed July 31. 196B 12 Sheets$haet 5 as l l U l2 I I 4 82 l I I82' I i I I5 W6 I 100 H8 0 ,qq

Aug. 20, 1'? w, LE ROY gus E ETAL Re. 28,119

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING CONTACT MEMBERS INTO INSULATINGBLOCKS Original Filed July 31, 1968 12 sheetwsheet 4 f: or 3 on W- I!"w. LE ROY BUSLER ET Re. 28.119

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING CONTACT MEHBERS INTO INSULATINGBLOCKS Original Filed July 31. 1968 12 Sheets--Sheat Aug. 20, 1,74 w LEROY BUSLER E'I'AL Re. 28,119

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING CONTACT MEMBERS m'ro msum'rme BLOCKSOriginal Filed July 31, 196B 12 Sheets-Sheet c l2 Sheets-Sheet '7 i-1974 w. LE ROY BUSLER ETA METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IHSERTING CDNTACTMEBERS INTO INSULATING BLOCKS. Original Filed July 31. 1968 QQM Aug. 20,1914 w LE ROY BUSLER ErAL Re. 28,119

METHOD mm APPARATUS FOR msnnrms cormcw MEMBERS INTO INSULATING BLOCKSOriginal Filed July 31, 1968 12 Sheets-Sheet. 5

Y \H T i i l V 3 N351 i 30 43a- I if 3 Aug. 20, 1,74 w LE ROY BUSLERETAL Re. 38,19

METHOD mm APPARATUS FOR INSERTING CONTACT MEMBERS INTO INSULATING BLOCKSOriginal Filed July 31. 1968 12 Sheets-Shaet 9 NhN Qmm

NMN

dmm

Aug. 20, 1914 w, LE ROY BUSLER ETAL 8a.. 28,119

METHOD Ann APPARATUS FOR INsERrmG connc'r MEMBERS mm msuwrme BLOCKSOriginal Filed July 31, 1968 12 Shoets-Sheet 10 Wml ii;

Re., 38,! I 9 ACT W. LE ROY BUSLER ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FORINSERTING CONT :IEIBERS INTO INSULATING BLOCKS Aug. 20, 1914 12Sheets-Sham. 11

Original Filed July 31.

2 9 l I t 1. m a 6 a m Rm m A s T w m c I- m I m RS mm sm UF Y m m muAug. 20, 1914 w METHOD AND MEMBERS INTO INSULATING BLOCKS Original FiledJuly 31, 1968 mvm United States Patent Oflice Re. 28,119 Reissued Aug.20, 1974 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR [NSERTING CONTACT MEMBERS INTOINSULATING BLOCKS Willard Le Roy Busler, Kenneth Foster Folk, HowardCharles Phillips, and Milton Dean Ross, Harrisburg, Pa., assignors toAMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa.

Original No. 3,556,382, dated Jan. 19, 1971, Ser. No. 749,122, July 31,1968. Application for reissue July 6, 1971, Ser. No. 160,224

Int. Cl. Hlr 3/00, 13/04 US. Cl. 29-625 Claims Matter enclosed in heavybrackets [1 appears in the original patent but forms no part of thisreissue specification; matter printed ln italics indicates the additionsmade by reissue.

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and apparatus for inserting contactterminals into coil bobbins is disclosed. Apparatus comprises anindexible turntable having a plurality of bobbin holding jigs. A fixedtable, located beneath the indexible turntable, has a plurality ofbobbin inserters thereon. Bobbins are positioned in jigs and carried toinserters where terminals are inserted. In accordance with methodaspect, the bobbins are moved towards the terminals to accomplish theinserting operation.

[Apparatus for inserting contact terminals into insulating blocks, suchas bobbins, comprises an indexible turntable, having a plurality ofbobbin holding jigs mounted thereon, and a fixed table, located beneaththe turntable, on which a plurality of terminal applicators are mounted.Bobbins are approximately positioned in the jigs at a loading stationand are carried past the several inserting stations. Each bobbin jig hasclamping means Which is actuated between the loading station and thefirst inserting station and which clamps the bobbin to the jig andaccurately positions it on the periphery of the turntable so that thebobbins are precisely located with respect to the several applicators atthe inserting stations. The applicators are adjusted to insert aterminal into each of the several terminal receiving openings in thebobbins, each applicator being movable relatively towards and away fromthe turntable during an operating cycle to insert a single terminal]BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed generallyto apparatus for inserting terminals into insulating blocks andparticularly for inserting terminals into coil bobbins or the like. Theprinciples of the invention are also applicable to machines forinserting, for example, contact terminals into printed circuit boardedge connectors and similar devices.

Vast numbers of electrical coils are used in, for example, thecommunications industry, and in the manufacture of motors, solenoids,and relays. These coils are ordinarily of small size and are wound onplastic bobbins which have a plurality of terminals mounted in theirflanges. The terminals are used to connect the taps from the coil to thelead wires from the external circuits. The relatively small coils usedare of widely varying configurations although vast numbers of such coilswill lie within a relatively small range of dimensions. Because of thevariations in the bobbin configurations, the operation of inserting theterminals into the coil bobbin flanges has heretofore constituted arelatively expensive and time consuming portion of the total cost of thebobbin. For this reason, there is a need for a versatile high speedinserting apparatus which is capable of automatically insertingterminals into coil bobbins or similar insulating blocks of varyingshapes and sizes.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improvedapparatus for inserting terminals into insulating blocks. A furtherobject is to provide an automatic apparatus for inserting terminals intobobbins. A still further object is to provide a terminal insertingapparatus for coil bobbins which is adaptable of bobbins of varyingsizes and shapes. A still further object is the provision of anapparatus capable of inserting terminals into bobbins at severalnonaligned locations on the bobbin flange.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method oyinserting terminal members into insulating blocks such as bobbins.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved in a preferredembodiment thereof comprising a rotatable and indexible turntable havinga plurality of bobbin holding jigs mounted at spaced intervals on itsperiphery. Each bobbin holding jig is adapted to receive anapproximately located bobbin and has means thereon for clamping thebobbin during an indexing cycle of the table in a manner such that thebobbin is precisely located and firmly clamped at a predeterminedposition on the periphery of the turntable. A plurality of insertingmechanisms or applicators are provided on a fixed table which is mountedbelow the turntable and located at each of the several insertingstations so that as the bobbins are presented to each inserting station,a single terminal will be inserted into one opening in the bobbin. Theinidividual applicators are adjustably mounted on the fixed table sothat they are capable of inserting a terminal at any location within apredetermined area which is representative of the area occupied by thebobbins at the insertion station. In this manner, it is merely necessaryto adjust the position of each applicator relative to the turntable toinsert terminals into any one or all of several openings which are inthe bobbins which are adapted to receive terminals. By virtue of thisfeature, and other features described more specifically below, anapparatus in accordance with the invention can be adapted to accommodatebobbins of varying sizes and shapes with equal efficiency.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one type of coil bobbinhaving openings in its flanges which are adapted to receive terminals;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a short section of terminal strip, oneterminal being broken away from the strip to illustrate the manner inwhich the strip is severed in the apparatus in accordance with theinvention.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view showing one-half section of anapparatus in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional side view of the apparatus of FIG 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a bobbin holding jig, this view showing thepositions of the parts when the jig is opened and prior to clamping ofthe bobbin;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the positions of theparts when the clamping mechanism on the jig is closed;

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view of the jig of FIGS. 5 and 6 showing thepositions of the parts prior to clamping of the bobbin;

FIG. 7A is an unsectioned side view of the jig showing the positions ofthe parts prior to clamping of the bobbin;

FIG. 7B is a sectional view similar to FIG. 7 but showing the positionsof the parts after the bobbin has been clamped;

FIGS. 8, 9, l0, and 11 are views taken along the lines 88, 9-9, 10I0,and 11-11 of FIGS. 5 and 7;

FIGS. 12A and 12B (which are intended to be placed beside each other)present a sectional side view of an inserter of applicator in accordancewith the invention;

FIGS. l3, 14, 15, 17, and 18 are sectional views taken along the lines13-13, 14--14, 1515, 1717, and 1818 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 15 but showing the positions of theparts at an intermediate stage of the operating cycle;

FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view showing details of a terminalclamping means; and

FIG. 20 is a top plan view of the inserter shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the disclosed embodiment of theinvention is adapted to insert terminals 2 into bobbins which aregenerally indicated at 4. Each bobbin comprises a transversely extendingspool portion 19 having flanges generally indicated at 18 and 20 on itsends, at least one of these flanges being provided with a plurality ofopenings in its edge which are adapted to receive individual contactterminals 2. The terminals are manufactured in the form of a continuousstrip 6, each terminal comprising a leading end 8 which is inserted intothe bobbin hole having a plurality of lances 10 on its sides whichprevent removal of the bobbin from the hole after insertion. Thetrailing end of the terminal, which projects from the bobbin openingafter insertion, is in the form of a spade having spaced-apart tynes 12.The individual terminals are connected to each other by transitionpieces 14, 16 which are slugged or severed from the strip in a mannerdescribed below at the time of insertion.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the disclosed embodiment of the inventioncomprises a fixed circular table 26 and a turntable 28 mounted above thefixed table. The turntable is adapted to be indexed at periodicintervals by any suitable indexing means to present the individualbobbins mounted on work holding jigs 32 successively to each of theseveral insertion heads or applicators 30 mounted on the fixed table 26.The bobbins 4 are loaded in the work holding jigs 32 at the loadingstation indicated at 29 in FIG. 3 and while the jig is moving from theloading station to the first insertion station 31, the bobbin is firmlyclamped and accurately positioned on the periphery of the turntable sothat it will be precisely located with respect to the applicators. Inthe description which follows, the work holding jigs will first bedescribed in detail and a description of the structural features of theapplicators will be presented following this description of the Workholding jigs.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-11, each work holding jig 32 is mounted on theupper surface of the turntable 28 and arranged radially with respect tothe turntable so that its bobbin holding elements are disposed adjacentto the periphery of the turntable. Each jig comprises a base plate 34secured to the turntable by fasteners 35 and having a mandrel, generallyindicated at 36, at its left-hand end as viewed in FIG. 7. The mandrel36 is a cross section conforming to the opening which extends throughthe spool portion of the bobbin and is mounted on, and removably securedto, a mandrel block or base 38 which rests upon a spacer plate 40,fasteners 46 extending through the turntable, through the base plate,through the spacer plate, and into the mandrel block to secure themandrel block in position. Accurate location of the mandrel block on thebase plate is achieved by means of a pin 42 mounted in an opening in theturntable and extending into an elongated slot 44 on the underside ofthe mandrel block. A detent 48 is mounted in a slot 50 on the left handsside of the mandrel and is resiliently biased leftwardly by means of aspring 52, to bias the bobbin mounted on the mandrel leftwardly andfacilitate its removal, after the terminals have been inserted, at theremoval station of the apparatus. Accurate location of the bobbin isalso achieved by means of a shoulder 54 on the lower most flange in FIG.7 which bears against a corresponding shoulder on the upper surface ofthe mandrel block. This shoulder on the mandrel block extends entirelyacross the flange and is commonly provided in order to permitpositioning of a bobbin on a suitable work holder.

Advantageously, the mandrel is removable from the mandrel block 38 inorder to permit use of mandrels of different shapes or sizes fordifferent types of bobbins. In the disclosed embodiment, the mandrel hasa depending boss 56 which extends into a slot 58 in the upper surface ofthe mandrel block and is secured in this slot by means of a fastener 60extending inwardly from the front side of the mandrel block.

When the individual bobbins are mounted or positioned on the mandrel atthe loading station, one of the rearwardly extending flanges 201), asviewed in FIG. 7, is located against a surface of a positioning block 62which is secured to, and extends from, an arm 64 of a bracket. Thisbracket extends upwardly as shown at 66 from a base 68 and is secured tothe base plate and to a support block 72 by suitable fasteners 70. Aswill be apparent from the description which folows, when the bobbin isfirmly clamped on the jig, the flange 20b is moved firmly against thesurface of the block 62 by a clamping mechanism.

The bobbin mounted on the mandrel is clamped firmly against the surfaceof the block 62 and its shoulder 54 is clamped against the shoulder onthe upper surface of the mandrel block by means of a clamping bar 76which extends transversely of the bobbin and above the inner surface ofthe flange indicated at 18a. Referring to FIG. 11, the ends of theclamping bar 76 are supported on blocks 78, 78' by means of pins 79which extend through the ends of the clamping block and through recessesin the lower ends of the blocks 78, 78'. Springs 80 surround the lowerends of these pins and bear against the inner surfaces of these recessesand against the lower heads 81 of the pins. This construction permitsthe clamping bar 76 to be displaced relatively upwardly with respect tothe blocks 78, 78', by a slight amount against the biasing force of thesprings 80 when the clamping bar moves inwardly and against the innersurface of the flange 18a as will be apparent from the description whichfollows.

The blocks 78, 78 are secured to the ends of arms 82, 82' which aremounted on each side of a main slide block 84. These arms extendrearwardly toward the right-hand end of this slide block as viewed inFIG. 7, the ends of the arms 82, 82' being pivotally mounted on pins 86(see FIG. 8) thereby to permit a slight downward pivoting of the armsand the clamping bar 76 when the slide block 84 moves rightwardly asviewed in FIG. 7.

The arms 82, 82' are swung through a slight arc, to move the clampingbar 76 downwardly, by means of a cam roller 88 contained in a housing 90which extends between, and is interengaged at 92 with the arms 82, 82'at the left-hand hand end of the slide block 84, see FIG. 10. The block90 has a central recess on its underside which straddles a fixed camblock 96 secured by fasteners 98 to the base plate 34. This cam blockhas a slot 94 through which the roller extends, this slot beingcontoured such that a slight downward movement of the arms will takeplace during the rightward movement of the slide block 84 which will beapparent from FIG. 7.

The slide block 84 is moved rightwardly, while the turntable transportsthe jig from the loading station to the first insertion station, bymeans of a connecting rod 108 which is coupled to the slide block 84 bymeans of an additional block 100. The block 100 is slidably mounted onthe upper surface of the slide block 84 and has a pin 102 extendingdownwardly intermediate its ends and into a slot 106 in the uppersurface of the slide block. A spring 104 is contained in the slot 106and bears at one end against the lower end of the pin 102 and at itsother end against the rearward wall of the slot 106. Spring 104 isrelatively stiff so that relative rightward movement of the link 108will initially cause rightward movement of the slide block but when theslide block reaches the limit of its travel as determined by a stopdescribed below, further movement of the link and the block relative tothe slide block is permitted with concomitant compression of the s ring.

The connecting rod 108 has one of its ends pivotally connected to theprojecting end of the pin 110 and is pivotally connected at its otherend 112 to one arm 114 of a bell crank. As shown best in FIG. 5, theconnecting rod 108 is of dog-leg shape to permit overtravel of the block100 in a manner which will be described below.

The arm 114 of the bell crank is integral with, and extends from, acentral bearing boss portion 116 which is mounted on a pin 118 extendinginto a support block 120 which, in turn, is mounted on the upper surfaceof the turntable 28 by fasteners 122. The other arm 124 of the bellcrank structure, which is angularly spaced from the arm 114, is disposedin a plane beneath the plane of the arm 114 and is adapted to be engagedby a cam roller 126 mounted on a fixed plate 128. The cam roller 126 isdisposed between the loading station and the first insertion station ofthe apparatus so that when the turntable indexes and a bobbin holdingjig moves from the loading station to the first insertion station, thebell crank 124, 114 will be swung through a clockwise are as viewed inFIG. 5 to move the slide member 84 rearwardly to the position of FIG. 6.As previously explained, this results in rightward movement, as viewedin FIG. 7, of the clamping bar 76 so that it moves against the innersurface of the flange 18a of the bobbin, clamps the bobbin flange 20bagainst the surface of the block 62, and at the same time, clamps theflange 180 against the shoulder on the upper surface of the mandrelblock 38.

The bobbin which is mounted on the mandrel is also positioned andclamped accurately in a horizontal plane and along the line extending atright angles to the direction of movement of the clamping bar 76 bymeans of a side clamp member 130 which moves leftwardly from theposition of FIG. 5 to the position of FIG. 6 to push the bobbin againstthe surface of a clamping plate 131 mounted on and extending from thebase plate 34. The clamping member 130 comprises a pair of spaced apartrelatively thin plates which are pivotally mounted at 132 on theopposite sides of the reduced diameter end portion 136 of a clamping arm134. The pivotal movement of the clamping member 130 is limited by meansof a pin 138 mounted in the reduced diameter end 136 of the clamping armwhich extends through suitable slots in the clamping member 130. Theclamping arm 134 extends alongside the arm 82 obliquely in FIG. 5towards the rearward end of the positioning and holding jig and ispivotally mounted at its end 140 on a bracket 142 secured to the baseplate 34. The arm 134 is swung through a slight clockwise arc duringrearward movement of the slide block 84 by means of a cam slot 144 onthe upper surface of the block 100. The cam slot 144 receives a camfollower 146 which is mounted in the end of a laterally extendingbracket 148 which is .secured, in turn, to the arm 134 intermediate itsends by fasteners 152. It will thus be apparent that upon rearwardmovement of the slide block 84, the follower 146 will move leftwardly asviewed in FIGS. 5 and 6, by virtue of the contour of cam slot 144, toswing the arm 134 through the clockwise are which causes movement of theclamping member 130 against the right-hand side of the bobbin. In theevent of overtravel of the slide member, as will be explained below, theclamping members 130 are permitted to remain stationary and resilientybiased against the side of the spool portions of the bobbin by virtue ofthe pivotal connection 132 between these clamping members and the arm134. In the disclosed embodiment, the clamping members 130 havelaterally extending ears 154 to which a rod 158 is pivotally connectedat 156. The opposite end of this rod is mounted at 162 in an extensionon the base portion of the bracket 148 and a spring 160 surrounds thisrod and bears against a suitable collar adjacent to the ear 154. Ifovertravel of the arm 134 takes place, the clamping members 130 pivotslightly with respect to the arm 134 and the spring 162 will becompressed. When the parts return to their normal positions, theclamping members 130 are returned to the position shown in FIG. 5 by thespring 160.

The forward movement of the slide block 84 is limited by an adjustablestop pin 164 which is threaded into a bracket 166 mounted on the uppersurface of the base plate 34.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that when a bobbin isplaced on the mandrel at the loading station, it need only beapproximately positioned and properly orientated by the operator. As thejig on which the bobbin has been placed moves from the loading stationto the first insertion station, the connecting rod 108 will be movedfrom the position of FIG. 5 to the position of FIG. 6 thereby effectingclamping of the bobbin securely to the mandrel by both the clampingmember 130 and the clamping bar 76. As best shown in FIG. 6, the pivotalconnections 110, 118, and 112 are in substantial alignment with eachother when the bobbin is clamped in the jig and, in fact, there may besome overtravel so that the pivotal connection 112 between the beltcrank arm 114 and the connecting rod 108 would be slightly to the rightof the position shown in FIG. 6. The bobbin will thus be resiliently andfirmly held in position. At the unloading station, a suitable openingcam roller 161, which is also mounted on the plate 128, engages anadditional arm 163 extending from the bearin boss portion 116 of thebell crank. This additional follower swings the bell crank 114, 124 tothe position shown in FIG. 5 thereby to release the clamping pressure onthe bobbin and permit its removal.

Referring now to FIGS. l2A-20, the individual inserting mechanisms 3|]are each mounted on the fixed table 26 by means of adjustable pedestalstructures so that they can be individually adjusted to insert aterminal at any location within a predetermined target area occupied bythe bobbins. As shown best in FIGS. 12B, 14, and 15, each adjustablesupporting structure comprises a base plate 168 mounted on the uppersurface of the fixed table 26 between gibs 169 and clamped to the uppersurface of the fixed table by means of fasteners 172 which extendthrough a clamping plate 174 and through slots in the base plate 168.Each base plate has a vertically extending support flange 176 againstwhich a vertically adjustable applicator support plate 178 is mounted.The vertically adjustable plate 178 has a side portion which is slidablycontained between gibs 177 on the sides of the flange 176. Verticaladjustment of the positions of the plate 178 is achieved by means of ajackscrew 182 which is threaded through the side portion 180 of theplate 178 and has a reduced diameter end 186 which is received in asuitable opening in the base plate 168. The upper end of this jackscrewis rotatably supported in a fixed bearing block 184 mounted on the upperend of the flange 176. Plate 178 can be clamped in any desired positionof adjustment by means of clamping screws 188 which extend throughsuitable slots in the flange 176 and are threaded in the side portion180 of the plate 178.

The inserter itself is mounted on a support plate 179 which, in turn, isadjustably supported on the upper surface of the plate 178, preciseadjustment may be achieved by means of a screw 181 which extends througha yolk 183 on the underside of the support plate 179 and is threadedinto the vertically adjustable support plate 178. Again, suitableclamping screws are provided to clamp the applicator or inserter in aprecise position of adjustment.

It will be apparent from the inspection of FIGS. 12B, 14, and 15 thatthe inserter can be adjusted towards and away from the turntable bymeans of the screw 181. Vertical adjustment of the position of theinserting head is achieved by means of the vertically adjustable supportplate 178, and horizontal adjustment in a direction at right angles tothe direction of movement of the plate 179 can be achieved by virtue ofthe plate 168. When the apparatus is being set up for a particularembodiment, the positions of each of the inserting mechanisms will beadjusted to insert a terminal into each of the openings in the bobbinbeing processed.

Each inserting mechanism or applicator is mounted on a generallyH-shaped frame block 192 (FIG. 14) having a horizontally extending web194 and sides 196. Web 194 is provided with an opening 193 intermediateits ends as shown best in FIG. 15. This frame block 192, in turn, isslidably mounted on a channellike support block 198, which is secured tothe applicator base plate 179 by suitable fasteners 200. The sides 202of the support block 198 have beveled bearing blocks 204 secured totheir external surfaces by fasteners 206 and the lower portions of thesides 196 of the frame block 192 have complementary bearing members 208secured thereto by fasteners 210. The support block 198 is thus anchoredto the fixed applicator base plate 179 while the frame block 192, andthe structure described below which is mounted thereon, is reciprocabletowards and away from the turntable and towards a bobbin held on theturntable.

Reciprocation of frame block 192 is achieved by means of a pistoncylinder 212 suitably mounted on the upper surface of the applicatorsupport plate 179 and having a piston rod 214 with a coupling head 216on its end. The head 216 is coupled at 220 to a connecting rod 218 whichextends forwardly between the sides 202 of the support block 198 andwhich is bifurcated at its end as shown at 222 (FIG. 14). Thespaced-apart ears on the end of this connecting rod straddle one side224 of a U-shaped clevis block 226 and are pivotally connected to thisside of the clevis block by means of a pin 228. The clevis block 226, inturn, is secured to the underside of the web 194 of the frame block 192by suitable fasteners 230. It will be apparent that upon rightward andleftward movement of the piston rod 214, the applicator frame block 192will be moved towards and away from the turntable. The shearing andterminal feeding mechanisms mounted on the applicator are actuatedduring such reciprocation of the piston rod by linkages which aredescribed below.

A vertically reciprocable ram plate 232 is mounted slidably against theright-hand end of the applicator as viewed in FIG. 12B and isreciprocated by means of a lever 244 which extends beneath the web 194of the frame member 192. The end portion 240 of this lever is of reducedthickness and is pivoted at 242 between a pair of spaced-apart ears of acoupling block 234. The coupling block, in turn, is secured by suitablefasteners 236 to the rearwardly facing side of the ram plate 232 as bestshown in FIG. 1213.

The lever 244 has an opening 246 (see FIG. 17) extending for asubstantial portion of its length and one leg 248 of the previouslyidentified clevis block 226 extends into this opening adjacent to theright-hand end of the lever as viewed in FIG. 17. Lever 244 is pivotallymounted on the previously identified pin 228 which extends through bothlegs 224, 248 of the clevis block 226 as best shown in FIG. 14. A fixedcam block 250 is secured to the support block 198 by means of suitablefasteners 252 and extends into the opening 246 of lever 244 on theleft-hand side of block 226. This cam block is provided with ahorizontally extending cam slot 254 which receives a cam follower 256.The cam follower 256 is mounted on a pin 258 which is mounted in theleft-hand end of the lever 244 and which extends through the opening 246in this lever and through the cam slot 254 as shown best in FIG. 17. Aswill be apparent from FIG. 123, the shape of the cam slot 254 is suchthat when the lever moves rightwardly from the position of FIG. 12B, itwill be rocked about its pivotal axis 228 through a slight clockwise arethereby causing the ram plate 232 to be moved downwardly. Rearwardmovement of the lever with respect to this fixed cam plate 250 returnsthe ram plate 232 to its initial position. Since the lever 244 issecured to the reciprocable frame block 192 by means of the mountingblock 226, such rocking of the lever takes place during each operatingcycle. The downward movement of the ram plate 232 effects severing ofthe leading terminal of the strip from the next adjacent terminal aswill be described below.

The terminal strip is fed toward the right-hand end of the applicator,as viewed in FIGS. 12A and 20 over the upper surface of the feedplatform 260 having a groove 262 on its upper surface which serves as aguide. Additional guide means 263 in the form of flanges adapted toextend over the groove 262 are secured to the platform as best shown inFIG. 18. The terminal strip is fed from a suitable supply reel (notspecifically shown) over an arcuate guide plate 264 which is secured to,and supported on, a bracket 266 which is mounted on the stationary baseplate 179. It should be noted that the feed platform 260 reciprocateswith the frame block 192 while this bracket 266 remains stationary. Thefeed platform 260 rests on a support block 268 and is secured thereto byfasteners 270, the support block 268, in turn, being secured byfasteners 272 to the upper ends of the sides 196 of the frame block 192,see FIG. 14.

The terminal strip is advanced by means of a feed finger 274 pivotallymounted intermediate its ends on a pin 276 which extends transverselyacross a feed finger housing 284. The forward end of this feed finger isbiased downwardly by a spring 278 while the left-hand end, as viewed inFIG. 12B, bears against a slotted pin 280 mounted in the housing 284. Anarm 282 extends laterally from the pin 280 so that upon rotation of thepin, the feed finger is moved upwardly against the biasing force ofspring 278 to disengage it from the strip. Such disengagement of thefinger from the strip is necessary when a new strip of terminals isbeing threaded through the applicator or when the applicator isotherwise being serviced.

Feed finger housing 284 is mounted in a reciprocable feed carriage 286by means of a clamping screw 288 which extends downwardly through thecarriage and into the housing, an adjusting screw 290 being provided inthe carriage to accurately locate the housing, and, therefore, thestroke limits of the feed finger with respect to the carriage. The feedfinger is reciprocated by means of the piston cylinder 212 in a mannerwhich will be described below.

The feed finger and the feed carriage 286 move with the applicatortowards and away from the turntable, and, in addition, move with respectto the applicator to advance the strip during the operating cycle. It isdesirable to provide a pawl or detent mechanism on the applicator whichis not moved with respect to the applicator and which permits feeding ofthe strip towards the right-hand end of the applicator preventsretractile movement of the strip. In the disclosed embodiment, a detentmechanism 292 is provided which is fixed to the upper surface of theplatform 260. The parts of this detent or antibackup mechanism areprecisely the same as the parts described above of the feed finger andneed not, therefore, be specifically identified or described in detail.It need only be remembered, that this detent moves with the applicatorbut not with respect to the applicator as does the feeding mechanism.

Carriage 286 extends across the upper surface of the platform 260 andhas its ends secured by fasteners 294 to a pair of downwardly extendingstraps 296, see FIGS. 15 and 18. The lower ends of these straps have arelatively snug fit in openings 300 in a feed slide 298 (see FIG. 15)which is disposed between the sides 196 of the H-shaped frame block 192and which rests on the web portion of this block. A shallow recess 302is provided on the righthand end of the slide 298 and a link 304 has oneof its ends pivoted in this recess as shown at 308. Link 304 ispivotally connected to an additional link 306 which, in turn, extendsrearwardly of the applicator as viewed in FIG. 15 and is pivotallyconnected at 312 to a block 214. The block 314 is adjustably mounted, bymeans of an adjusting screw 316, between the sides 196 of the frameblock so that it reciprocated with the frame block during operation. Thelink 306 has a cam follower 322 on its underside which is received in acam slot 320 of a cam block 318. This cam block is secured by fasteners319 to the upper surfaces of the sides 202 of the block 198 and extendsinto the opening 193 of the web portions of the frame block. It will berecalled that this block, in turn, is fixed to the applicator base plate179 so that the cam block 318 does not reciprocate during the operatingcycle.

FIG. 15 shows the positions of the parts at the beginning of theoperating cycle and when the applicator is in its retracted positionwith respect to the turntable. During the operating cycle, theapplicator moves rightwardly to the position of FIG. 16 and the camfollower 322 is required to move along the cam slot 320 in the block318. Since the cam block 318 is fixed and does not move with theapplicator, the toggle mechanism, comprising the links 304, 306, isbroken (see FIG. 16) so that the slide 298 is moved relativelyleftwardly with respect to the frame block 192. The feed carriage 286 iscarried leftwardly with respect to the frame block since this carriageis rigidly connected to slide 298 by means of the straps 296 aspreviously explained. It will thus be apparent that the retraction ofthe feed carriage 286, that is, the movement of the carriage leftwardlywith respect to the reciprocable frame block 192, takes place while theframe block itself is moving rightwardly as viewed in FIGS. 12 and 15,that is, towards the turntable. Feeding of the terminal strip takesplace while the applicator is moving away from the turntable whileretraction of the feed carriage takes place while the applicator ismoving towards the turntable.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the motion forthe feed stroke is obtained from the reciprocable feed block by means ofthe block 314 and the toggle mechanism 304, 306 and the strips 296. Itis desir-- able to provide a spring 324 which is effective between theslide 298 and the block 314 to bias these moving parts in one directionin order to take up any looseness in the drive train for the feed fingerand to insure smooth operation thereof. In the disclosed embodiment, thespring 324 is interposed between the forwardly facing side of the block314 and one side of the arm 298.

The shearing mechanism which shears the leading terminal of the stripfrom the next adjacent terminal is actuated at the beginning of theoperating cycle by the lever 244 as previously described. The strip isfed through an opening 326 in the face of the reciprocable ram 232, theram, in turn, being slidably mounted against the face of a housing 328by means of clamping plates 330 and fasteners 332. As best shown in FIG.15, the plates 330 retain the ram in the housing and the fasteners 332function to hold the plates 330 and the housing 328 against the forwardend of the reciprocable frame block. An insert 334 is mounted in thehousing 328 by fasteners 335 (see FIG. 13) and has a downwardly andrearwardly extending opening 336, the edges of which cooperate with theshearing member 342 to sever the leading terminal from the strip andslug out the connecting slug between the adjacent terminals. The chipopening communicates with a chute 338 which extends downwardly todischarge the slugs as shown in FIG. 12.

The shearing member 342 is integral with, and depends from, a shearingblock 340 which is secured by fasteners 344 to the face of the ram 232.At the beginning of the operating cycle, the strip will have been fedduring the previous operating cycle so that the leading terminal willextend rightwardly as viewed in FIG. 12 beyond the opening 336. Duringdownward movement of the ram then, the shearing member 342 will moveinto the opening 336 to effect the shearing operation and the connectingslug will drop downwardly and will be discharged through the chute 338.After the leading terminal has been severed from the strip and while itis being carried towards the bobbin and inserted into the bobbinopening, it is clamped on the upper surface of the insert 334 by aclamping structure which now will be described.

The clamping means for clamping the severed terminal is mounted on ablock 346 (FIGS. l2, l8, and 19) which is contained between the sides ofthe reciprocable frame block and which is secured by fasteners 348 tothe frame. Block 346 has an inwardly extending recess 350 centrallylocated on its right-hand side adjacent to the ram as shown in FIG. 18,this recess 350 accommodating a clamping member 351 and a slide member360. As shown in FIG. 19, the clamping member 351 is in the form of ayolk having spaced-apart arms 354 which straddle the shear blade 342 andwhich are connected at their forward end as shown at 343. A locating pin352 is mounted in the forward end of the clamp and extends downwardlyagainst the surface of the insert 334, this pin being adjusted to enterthe severed terminal between the trailing legs thereof to support itwhile it is being pushed into the bobbin. The underside of the forwardsection 343 of the clamping member is recessed as shown at 355 so thatit will straddle the terminal and support it against lateral movement.

Clamping member 351 has an upstanding ear 358 at its rearward end and ispivotally connected by a pin 356 to the slide member 360. The slidemember is slidably mounted in the lower portion of the recess 350 andhas laterally extending flanges 372 at its rearward end which limit itsrightward movement as viewed in FIGURE 12B beyond the position shown inthat Figure. Slide member 360 is provided with an upstanding ear 364which is opposed to the ear 352 and a compression spring 366 isinterposed between these two ears so that the clamping member 351 isbiased in a clockwise direction about the pivot pin 356, which connectsthe slide to the clamping member. Such biasing of the clamping memberurges it against the surface of the leading terminal and urges the pindownwardly against the surface of the insert 334 so that it will back upthe leading terminal. It will be apparent that this clamping member 351can be displaced upwardly when the strip is fed to locate a terminal atthe end of the applicator.

It is desirable to provide for a limited amount of overtravel of theapplicator with respect to the bobbin into which the terminal is beinginserted. The openings in the bobbins into which the terminals areinserted are not always of precisely the same depth and if theapplicator is adjusted to insert a terminal fully into an opening of aprecisely positioned bobbin, the next bobbin may have a shalloweropening so that full insertion of the terminal will have been achievedbefore the applicator has reached the limit of its travel. In order toprovide with such overtravel of the applicator, the center portion ofthe block 346, which is behind the ear 364, is provided with a drilledopening in which a plurality of compressible washers are mounted. Aplug, as indicated, is mounted in the end of this opening and bearsagainst the rearwardly facing side of the ear 364 and a set screw 370 ismounted in the opposite end of the opening to contain the washers. If aterminal is fully inserted prior to the end of the stroke of theapplicator towards the turntable, the slide member 360 will thus bepermitted to remain stationary relative to the applicator and thewashers 368 will be compressed as is apparent from FIG. 12B. Only aslight clearance is provided between the left-hand side of the ear 364and the opposed surface of the upper portion of the block 346. Thisclearance is adequate to provide for the limited overtravel whichoccasionally takes place.

The briefly review of the operating cycle of the disclosed embodiment,the bobbins are positioned on the bobbin mandrels of the holding jigs ata loading station. This may be carried out manually or by a suitableloading apparatus as desired. In any event, only approximate positioningof the bobbins is required for the reason that while the turntableindexes, and a previously loaded bobbin is carried to the firstinsertion station, the bobbin will be firmly clamped and preciselypositioned on the mandrel 36 by the associated side clamp member 130 andclamping bar 76 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). As the bobbin is presented to eachof the insertion stations, the applicators located at the stations moveinwardly towards the turntable to insert a terminal. At the beginning ofthe operating cycle of each applicator, the terminal strip will havebeen fed so that the leading terminal extends beyond the end of theapplicator. This leading terminal is sheared from the next adjacentterminal during movement of the applicator by the shearing blade 342 onblock 340. The block 340 is mounted on the upper end of ram plate 232which is moved downardly by lever 244 as the lever is swung about aslight clockwise are (as viewed in FIG. 12B) by cam slot 254. After thisleading terminal has been severed from the terminal strip, it isresiliently held against the upper surface of insert 334 by clampingmember 351 until it is inserted into the bobbin.

The terminal strip is fed by the feed finger 274 which is pivotallymounted on the reciprocable feed carriage 286 by means of the feedfinger housing 284. During movement of the applicator towards theturntable (i.e., during the insertion stroke of the applicator) thecarriage and finger are retracted or moved a short distance away fromthe turntable by the toggle 304, 306 which is broken by cam slot 320.During retractile movement of the applicator, the toggle is straightenedthereby to move the carriage and feed finger towards the turntable tofeed the terminal strip relative to the applicator.

Any desired control and safety devices may be provided on the disclosedform of apparatus to detect, for example, the improper positioning of abobbin on a holding jig of the end of a strip of terminals in any of theapplicators and to shut down the machine upon receipt of a signalindicating such events. The only essential control circuitry required isfor the piston cylinder 212 which is preferably of a double acting typeand which is actuated at the be ginning of the cycle to move the pistonrod 214 rightwardly and is again actuated to move the piston rod 214leftwardly after the terminal has been inserted into the bobbin. Suchactuation of this piston cylinder can be achieved by a suitable solenoidcontrolled valve, which, in turn, is controlled by the turntable. Theindexing mechanism for the turntable can be of any conventional type. Itwill be understood that any desired number of applicators can be mountedon the fixed table and that, if desired, the bobbins can be reversed orinverted after terminals have been inserted into one of the flanges topresent a different flange to the succeeding applicators. The bobbinsmay be inverted by a suitable automatic mechanism or can be invertedmanually and then repositioned in the holding jigs if desired. Finally,the bobbins can be automatically ejected for they are unclamped aspreviously described from the jigs after the final terminal has beeninserted.

While the applicators of the disclosed embodiment are adapted to feed asingle terminal strip, it will be apparent that the principles of theinvention can be applied to the feeding of a plurality of terminalstrips in each applicator. In other words, the applicator could bedesigned to feed two or more terminal strips along parallel paths andsimultaneously insert two or more terminals into the bobbin or otherinsulating block. A modification of this type would be particularlybeneficial for the insertion of contact terminals into printed circuitboard connectors for the reason that connectors of this type commonlyhave 10, 20 or more terminals therein.

Changes in construction will occur to those skilled in the art andvarious apparently different modifications and embodiments may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention. The matter set forthin the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by wayof illustration only.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for inserting contact members into insulating blockscomprising:

a turntable;

a plurality of block holding jigs mounted on said turntable at spacedapart intervals on the periphery thereof; l

a plurality of contact member inserters positioned at spaced locationsaround the periphery of said turntable, each of said inserters beingmovable relatively towards and away from said turntable and eachinserter having means for feeding a strip of said terminal members,means for severing the leading terminal from said strip, and means forholding said leading terminal until it is inserted into an insulatingblock which is in alignment with said one inserting means; and

said inserter being adjustably mounted to permit adjustment in threedirections whereby said terminals can be inserted into openings atditferent locations on said block.

2. Apparatus for inserting terminals into bobbins comprising:

a turntable;

a plurality of terminal inserters, said inserters being located atspaced intervals around said turntable, each inserter comprising meansfor moving an individual terminal towards said turntable and into apredetermined target area;

a plurality of bobbin holding jigs on said turntable, each jig beingadapted to hold a bobbin within said target area, and

means for adjusting the positions of said terminal inserters to insertterminals at precisely predetermined locations in said target areathereby to permit insertion of terminals into each of severalterminal-receiving openings in said bobbin.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said bobbin holdingjigs has clamping means for clamping a bobbin in said predeterminedtarget area, said apparatus including means actuated concomitantly withindexing of said turntable for actuating said clamping means while anindividual jig is moving from a loading station to a first insertionstation of said apparatus.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein each of said jigs comprisesa mandrel for supporting a bobbin, said clamping means on each jigcomprising means for clamping said bobbin against said mandrel.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said inserters isreciprocable towards and away from said turntable during each operatingcycle, terminal strip feeding means on each of said inserters, each ofsaid feeding means being reciprocably mounted on said inserters to feedterminal strip relative to said inserters towards said turntable.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein each of said inserters hassevering means for severing the leading terminal from said strip andclamping means for resiliently clamping said severed terminal duringmovement of said inserter towards said turntable.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said clamping means, oneach of said inserters, is slidably mounted on said inserter, andincluding resilient means biasing said clamping means relative to saidturntable, towards said turntable, whereby said inserter is permitted tomove relative to said clamping means in the event of complete insertionof a terminal prior to the completion of movement of said insertertowards said turntable.

8. An applicator for inserting a terminal into a bobbin, said bobbinbeing held in a fixed relationship with respect to said applicator, saidapparatus comprising:

a slide member;

means for reciprocating said slide member towards and away from saidbobbin;

strip feeding means on said slide member for feeding a 13 strip ofterminals towards and away from said bobbin with respect to said slidemember; severing means on said side member for severing the leadingterminal from said strip; and clamping means for clamping said severalterminal during movement of said slide member towards said bobbin, saidclamping means being slidably mounted on said slide member and beingresiliently biased towards said bobbin, whereby upon complete insertionof said terminal into said bobbin prior to the completion of movement ofsaid slide member towards said bobbin, said slide member is permitted tomove with respect to said clamping means until movement of said slidemember towards said bobbin is completed. 9. The method of attaching acontact element to a substrate comprising the steps of locating asubstrate in a work position, feeding a contact element to a positionadjacent the substrate, clamping the element between a pair of jaws in afixed location relative to the substrate with a portion of the elementexposed to the substrate, moving the jaws with the element clampedtherebetween toward the substrate to attach the exposed portion of theelement to the substrate at a desired location, and releasing the jaws.

10. The method of attaching a lug to a bobbin comprising the steps ofmounting a bobbin in a work position,

The following references, cited by the Examiner. are of record in thepatented file of this patent or the original patent.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,186,077 6/1965 Vickery, Jr. 29203 B 2,869,1281/1959 Reichelt 227105 3,134,982 6/1964 Gagnon et al 227-93 X 3,266,6958/1966 Cervenka et al. 227l05 X THOMAS H. EAGER, Primary Examiner US.Cl. X.R. 29203.B

